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   Land and Water Conservation in California's Bioregions

Due to the diversity of California’s landscapes, the state has classified ten land-based bioregions, areas of California with similar physical, biological, and cultural features. The boundaries were identified in 1988 as a product of long deliberations among members of the state’s Interagency Natural Areas Coordinating Committee. They were later adopted by the California Biodiversity Council, formed in 1991 to improve coordination and cooperation amongst 38 federal, state and local agencies and organizations involved with resource management and protection.

By following nature’s boundaries, with due attention to socio-political elements, the coordination of conservation strategies on all levels can be improved. The bioregional approach helps to educate and encourage the participation of landowners, businesses, civic leaders, environmentalists, academics, and others in local conservation efforts and planning. Listed in the following bioregional sections are examples of conservation initiatives which generally follow three basic tenants essential to solutions on any scale: 1) inclusive partnerships, 2) private sector engagement, and 3) management of ecosystems.

Many of the state’s bioregions face similar threats due to increasing population growth and urban development. How this affects each region depends on the complex make-up of physical, social, economic, and natural features of that region. No two regions are alike and solutions to regional problems are rarely the same. Though there are regional similarities, the underlying site-specific solution is as unique as the people who inhabit each region.

Interestingly, today’s bioregional boundaries are in close alignment with the state’s natural settlement patterns dating to the mid-19th century, long before urban development projects had obscured the direct convergence between human activities and the natural order. Early settlers, heavily dependent on water sources, sustainable forests and fisheries and on subsistence agriculture, showed great respect for natural systems and lived and worked within their contours. It is our hope that the bioregional perspective will assist today’s communities to this same end.

Click on the links in the box below to view information about each of California's Ten Bioregions

Klamath/North Coast Modoc Sacramento Valley Bay Area/Delta Sierra Central Coast San Joaquin Valley Mojave South Coast Colorado Desert